In apparatuses with a limited storage capacity, such as mobile information terminals, handheld personal computers, mobile phones, and embedded devices, there is an increasing need to use a database as the amount and types of data processed in such apparatuses are increasing. Recently, databases for use in such apparatuses with a limited storage capacity have been available from a number of vendors. These available databases are designed to operate with a small amount of memory. For example, some database products, such as DB2 (trademark) Everyplace (trademark) products of IBM Corporation, can update data in cooperation with an external database server.
However, even with the use of the databases for embedded devices available from the vendors, there is a limit to the amount of data storable in an apparatus with a limited storage capacity like an embedded device. As a measure to address too much data to store, a possible method may be to store no data in the embedded device and to access an external database server via a communication line as necessary. However, the problems in this case are that the response is slow because data is requested every time it is required, and that the data cannot be accessed where communications are unavailable.